OTTAWA – A radio broadcast of a satirical critique of men’s attitudes towards women did not breach any broadcast codes regarding stereotyping, says the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC).
The CBSC investigated an editorial broadcast on CKMF-FM (Énergie 94.3, Montreal) that aired on November 26, 2016 at around 8:00 AM. The segment was a monologue by Quebec personality and commentator Rosalie Bonenfant where she sarcastically “thanked” men for certain attitudes and behaviours, such as [translation] “Thanks, boys, for always immediately assuming that any time we’re angry or emotional, it’s pre-menstrual syndrome. […] Thanks for grabbing our asses when you feel like it, even if we don’t know you. […] We’re happy to feel like we’ve successfully fulfilled our primary function, which is to please you.”
A listener complained that the monologue generalized about all men, suggesting that they were all sexual aggressors and incapable of understanding the concept of consent. The station pointed out that it had preceded the segment with an advisory that the monologue would contain sarcasm and irony, and that Bonenfant had not intended to paint all men with the same brush.
The CBSC examined the complaint under the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Equitable Portrayal Code and Code of Ethics, which contains provisions against unduly negative stereotyping. The Equitable Portrayal Code also contains a provision that explains that content that might otherwise appear discriminatory may not breach the code if the context is comedic or satirical.
The CBSC’s French-Language Panel determined that that provision was applicable in this case. The monologue was intended to be a satirical commentary on a social issue of public interest and it was introduced with the warning that it was intended to be sarcastic and ironic. There was, therefore, no breach of either code, concludes the decision.
